Oncorhynchus
Oncorhynchus is a genus of ray-finned fish in the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae, native to coldwater tributaries of the North Pacific basin. The genus contains twelve extant species, namely six species of Pacific salmon and six species of Pacific trout, all of which are migratory (either anadromous or potamodromous) mid-level predatory fish that display natal homing and semelparity.
| Oncorhynchus Temporal range: Late Miocene – recent | |
|---|---|
| Sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka Female (above) and male in mating season Note male with kype (hooked snout) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Salmoniformes |
| Family: | Salmonidae |
| Subfamily: | Salmoninae |
| Genus: | Oncorhynchus Suckley, 1861 |
| Type species | |
| Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum, 1792) | |
| Species | |
The name of the genus is derived from the Greek ὄγκος (ónkos, 'lump, bend') + ῥύγχος (rhúnkhos, 'snout'), in reference to the hooked secondary sexual characteristic — known as the kype — that the males develop on the lower jaw tip during mating season.
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